


Restless Soul

by ximeria



Series: Welcome to My Own Personal End Times (multifandom) [3]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Love, M/M, Obedience, Trust, Understanding, letting go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 07:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ximeria/pseuds/ximeria
Summary: "Erik."Erik closes his eyes, but he has a snowball's chance in hell when it comes to not obeying Charles on this one. There's a mental touch in the back of his head, like a caress, but it's not controlling in any way. It's just there.





	Restless Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Third entry for the summer project of trying to break me - this is prompt number 26.
> 
> Again, thank you to Dee for just taking it like a soldier when I keep throwing fic at her and betaing the bastards XD

"Come here," Charles says. His voice is soft, but there's a layer of steel underneath the softness. He doesn't move, he doesn't gesture.

Erik tries not to shiver visibly, but he knows it is of no use. Even if Charles isn't watching him like a hawk, he'd know how Erik is going to react.

Erik knows all the ways that Charles speaks to him. From exasperation to love to stern despair. This version, though, is one that only ever surfaces in the bedroom. And it's one of the few that Erik cannot ignore, even if he'd want to.

Today they're in the library - the small one that Charles uses for office that's close to his bedroom. The room is dark save for the small desk lamp as well as the one on the side table by the table that holds their last unfinished game of chess.

"Erik."

Erik closes his eyes, but he has a snowball's chance in hell when it comes to not obeying Charles on this one. There's a mental touch in the back of his head, like a caress, but it's not controlling in any way. It's just there.

So he does. Do as Charles asks of him. He makes himself walk over to where Charles is sitting in his wheelchair and stops, waiting for the next request. Because it's never a demand when they do this. It'll be a firm request.

Charles reaches out and touches his hand - it's just a feather light touch to the soft skin where his thumb and index finger meet.

Erik doesn't say anything, but he knows. He sinks to his knees next to Charles' chair, bends his neck, letting his head hang.

He doesn't startle when Charles runs his fingers through his hair. There's a little tug and Erik raises his head to meet Charles' eyes.

"What do you need tonight?" The question is soft but the impact is that of a runaway train.

Erik opens his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. How can he explain to Charles what it is he needs when he doesn't quite know himself?

"It's the deal, Erik, you agreed to this." Charles' voice is low and mesmerizing. "You have to tell me what it is you want and what you want me to do. "

It had been just that. Erik had been restless and it had taken some trial and error over the years for them to realize what it was Erik needed. He's long since moved beyond where he doesn't trust Charles in his head, but it is strangely challenging and yet liberating having to put his own needs into words, rather than letting Charles pull it from his mind - or his subconscious, because Erik knows a great many of his problems are so deeply buried that even he has no clue they are there.

Erik nods. As much as he can trust Charles to push him when necessary, he also knows if he needs a moment or two to get his head right, Charles will know he needs it.

"Alright, take your time," Charles says. Because he always does. He initiates when Erik needs it but then he hands over the wheel to Erik.

Erik draws a deep breath. His body is still fairly relaxed. This will, probably, end in sex, but it'll be hours before that happens. Until then it's all about Erik's mindset and his needs. He leans forward, turns his head and rests his cheek against Charles' thigh.

Charles’ fingers are still in his hair, carding slowly through it, fingernails scratching lightly against his scalp. Erik closes his eyes and focuses on Charles' touch and the feel of Charles' slacks, so very soft against his cheek. He can feel the heat from the skin beneath it. It all helps him ignore the world around them, focusing his attention on Charles.

The feeling of Charles' strong fingers being rhythmically run through his hair is almost enough to make him drift. And that's okay as well. Because when he does, he can more often than not pinpoint what it is he needs afterwards. When he's just restless it sometimes takes hours before they get to the core of the problem.

Charles is humming tunelessly under his breath and Erik knows that if he looks up, he'll find him with his eyes closed as well. They've butted heads so many times over the years, but this is one of the things that, once Erik was done fighting it, has never failed to work in both their favour. And there are a great many things that Erik feels that he and the rest of the world owe Charles Francis Xavier. Erik himself might be fighting for the freedom of their kind and he doesn't always agree with Charles - the world knows this, so the question is, what would people say if they could see this very moment? If they could see the fearsome master of magnetism, kneeling at the feet of the world's greatest telepath?

That he's going back on all his grand words about mutant supremacy?

He's heard it before, when he's sided with the X-men and Charles. But that's just it. It's not about being on the side of the mutants _or_ the X-men. It's about what's right and wrong in a given situation. It's taken him a long time to learn to at least listen to Charles before making a decision of his own.

Or perhaps they'll say that he's a lucky man because he has someone who understands him and who has helped him unlock his potential?

Charles' humming turns to a vaguely familiar tune. It tugs at something in Erik's subconscious. Something in his memory. It's a very old lullaby that seeds in Erik's soul. It's one he may or may not remember from his childhood and it's one he's quite sure Charles has never heard before in his life.

It takes hours to get into the right mindset for them, and afterwards it will take hours for them to disentangle their minds from one another, but oh, is it worth all the work. Even if some days the disentangling takes longer than it should and perhaps, those days, there is a reluctance on both sides to let go.

There is nothing that can calm Erik's hurricane mind quite the way that Charles does.


End file.
